Roobie Roobie doo!

I was sitting with my son today, watching a new Scooby doo made for tv movie. This movie seemed to follow the traditional Scooby Doo formula, Kids run into ghost/ monster, Scooby and Shaggy create mayhem while the others uncover the truth of the mystery, the gang determines that this ghost/ monster is simply a mere mortal in disguise. All of a sudden I was struck with the realization that this childrens show, one that I grew up with, while horribly done and stupid at times was teaching the virtues of skepticism! Think about it, the gang would almost always find a mundane explanation for supernatural claims using reason. In fact Carl Sagan favorably compared the formula to that of most television dealing with paranormal themes, and considered that an adult analogue to Scooby-Doo would be a great public service! (thank you wiki!)

Well back to this movie, and as I waited for the "reveal" I realized that there would be none. For the first time there in fact was a paranormal explanation for the ghosts/monsters! At one point, a deity, perhaps the devil, came down to summon his minions back to whence they came. In fact the gang were all transformed into demons and Scooby himself was morphed into some kind of dog dragon. Of course they were all transformed back to normal at the end.

I was stuck by how this, the simplest of childrens programing, has contributed to this backslide of critical thinking in our society.

Even comparing the original Star Trek, from 1965 to the modern one. Great care was taken in the original to base all of the technology on real science. This seems to have been abandoned in the reboot in favor of "Red Matter" and random travel through black holes.

Is it any wonder that psudo science and ignorance is on the rise again with critical thought and science at large thrown out of even our simplest forms of entertainment.

Then again, its only a kids show. Pass the Scooby snacks wont you?